Inauguration: Take Two
by HJaclyn
Summary: Donna tries to make the most out of a Joshless inauguration, with help from her old friend chocolate.


Hi again! It's been a while...I can't believe I've gone so long without writing. That'll tell you a bit about _my_ summer...Anyway, this concept's been cooking for a couple of months, it just took me a while to figure out how I actually wanted to write it. So here it is...Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Same old. Sorkin's guys, not mine. Under Wellsatan. Always unfortunate. Whatcha gonna do? 

_**Inauguration: Take Two  
**_A romantic comedy (as always! Stick to what works, I say.)  
_Chapter one_

* * *

It took me four hours to get ready. 

I consider this pathetic. It should never take a girl more than an hour, give or take. It means she's obsessing if she does.

Granted, I was getting ready for the Inauguration Ball. But was the third time I redid my hair really necessary? And the only time you truly couldn't see the bags under my eyes was the first time I did my makeup. It's just that my face looked a little too yellow, and the blush was too strong.

In the end, I settled for a bobby-pin laden French twist and smoky eyes, complemented with neutral blush. It wasn't perfect, but I was seriously running out of time.

At least CJ and I had found dresses already. That was the only thing that had been constant yet today, and I couldn't have been happier about that.

It was a beautiful silk number we had found at this little boutique two weeks ago. It was black, and form fitting without being clingy. The front wasn't anything too special. It was the back. Or lack thereof.

I think there is nothing sexier than revealing your back. It's unexpected. It's classy. And hey, it worked for Hilary Swank.

My shoes were heels, but they were not high. After working for so long for Josh, I suppose I got used to not being able to wear high heels, especially for special events. Otherwise, I was taller than him, and that made dancing awkward.

We wouldn't be dancing tonight, and the second I realized that my heart sank. It absolutely sank and hit bottom. Suddenly I wasn't as excited about the ball. I looked in the mirror. What was I getting so dressed up for? Cameras? Will? (No.) What?

Oh hell.

I put on my high heels.

Slowly I trekked my way through the apartment, flicking off each light before heading out the door. I took one last look around, pondering the possibilities of staying here. I just bought Hitch and some oatmeal cookie Ben and Jerry's.

I opened the door and headed toward the waiting cab.

The cab stopped, and I headed out carefully. I was wobbling on my heels. They'd been in my closet for a couple of years, and there's such a thing as falling out of practice. Not to mention it was raining.

Great. I had the threat of breaking a heel or an ankle, then falling onto wet ground in my silk dress. All I had to do was make it through the front door and that first part would be the only thing I had to worry about.

It wasn't too far to the door, luckily.

Though, as soon as I entered, I didn't feel so lucky.

Everyone looked so happy. The band had just kicked up some swing music, and the majority of attendees were dancing happily, lively.

I wouldn't be dancing tonight.

Somewhere amidst the flowing skirts and kicking heels I spotted CJ, glowing as she pulled Toby, her current dancing partner, closer. Her smile was wider than I'd seen it in a while, and I was nearly shocked to see that Toby actually had one on his face. Charlie and Zoey were nearby, and I could see Abbey somewhere by the stage. All smiling. I didn't feel like doing that quite yet, because I wasn't dancing. I really did need to stop thinking about that.

A large balding guy bumped into my shoulder. I watched as he walked away, devoid of apology.

Oh, there was the champagne.

Feeling a little more content with every sip, I meandered through the crowd a bit, keeping my head down as I did. Ever since I worked in front of the cameras, a surprising number of people had been able to correctly identify me, and it wasn't as great as I had once thought it would be.

Try on for size.

I had my own LemonLyman, and I wasn't exactly pleased. The rumors about my new job, the debate whether I was qualified (I think that's when they started questioning my sex life and how much it was intertwined with politics), the sudden rumors I would be running for congress (why?). The worst part was the 'insider' info; I'm guessing it was an intern. Maybe that guy who sold my moose meat. He was the only one with an agenda against me that I could think of. But the information they'd gotten from the insider so far was about Josh and I, and there were of course musings that it had been more, especially after they heard about Gaza.

Meanwhile, I had to know I wasn't going to dance with him tonight.

I slid the rest of the drink down my throat, feeling it tingle as it went down. The band finished their song to applause, then announced the next one. It was a song I vaguely remembered from my grandparents' fiftieth. It was a slow song.

I spotted a chocolate fountain nearby.

As the song began, I felt immensely like I was back in my senior prom. My date had disappeared halfway through the dance, and as Duran Duran crooned the rest of the crowd, I sat by my table, pretending the tears coming down my face were not really my own.

I wasn't crying now, but I felt damn awful.

Cue chocolate fountain.

Just as I began reaching for the strawberry that would help curb my misery, I felt a hand on my back.

A very cold hand. I jumped a little when it touched me.

Suddenly my nerves were on alert. My brain raced, my head spun.

My eyes saw Will.

As my heart slowed down to a steady pumping, I pivoted my body to escape his touch.

"Hi Donna."

"Hi Will."

He missed the lack of happiness in my voice and continued. "Would you care to dance?"

I didn't have anything better to do. The only thing was I was currently towering over him like the Jolly Blonde Giant. So I said yes.

Once on the floor, I asked, "How's the job search going?"

"Oh, that," he said.

"Not exactly as planned?"

"No, not quite."

"What are you looking at?"

"Speechwriting again…"

"No, Will, what are you looking at?" He had been staring awkwardly over my shoulder for the entire conversation, which had been awkward anyway. I began turning my head to see what he was looking at. He jerked his head to the side, as if giving a signal, and I darted him a look before turning around all the way.

There was no one there.

I looked back at Will, meanwhile feeling my eyebrows curl drastically down.

"What was that?"

"What?  
"You gave someone a signal. What was that?"

"Oh, that. The person was trying to find someone, I knew who, and I directed him in that particular person's direction."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

I spotted CJ. "Gotta go."

"Oh, okay. Bye…"

I detached myself and headed through the mass of slowly swaying people until I connected with CJ.

"Hey! Donna! Whoa…"

I grabbed her arm and continued on to the bathroom.

Once going through the doorway, I turned my head towards her. "Hi CJ."

"What the hell?" she said, laughing.

I paused. "I…don't know."

"Wow Donna, I feel like I'm back in my senior prom."

"So do I!"

We both sat down in the chairs in the lounge.

"Donna, didn't your senior prom…"

"It was horrible."

"Is this about…"

"I'm trying so hard not to make it."

"Not hard enough."

"Yeah."

She looked at me with pure concern etched on her face. "Did you make it to the chocolate fountain?"

"Momentarily. I didn't get the chance to actually eat any. Will crept up as I was forking a strawberry."

"Ugh."

We sat for a while.

"CJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm reaching forty."

"For one, you aren't that close."

"I'm not?"

"Well, darling, I'm past it. For two, forty is the new thirty."

"I'm still in my thirties."

"Thirty is the new twenty."

"Doesn't that make twenty the new teens?"

"Unfortunately."

"Got that."

"Now, you can choose to be thirty, or twenty."

"I feel like I'm fifty."

"Comes with the job. Now this is a special occasion. You're allowed to be twenty. Or thirty, if you wish."

"CJ. Walk with me in memory lane for a moment."

"I know. It's about Josh."

"I miss him."

She sighed. I looked off at the framed picture on the wall. It was a painting of a rose.

"Donna…"

"Why, after all these years, after everything we've been through, do I feel like I have to avoid him? Why does it feel so distant?"

"Hey, you said it yourself, it's getting better."

"But this is Inauguration. It's a celebration."

"Yeah."

"I think it's so hard because I remember so vividly last time around. The snowballs, and sitting on his lap, and he told me I looked amazing. We danced, and it was happy, and I felt right celebrating. I feel wrong. I feel like I've lost something, CJ."

"Look, Donna, when we talked the night of the lockdown, I never meant for it to be…"

"It wasn't you. It was me. Don't get me wrong. It was great for me to get another job. That much was positive, but I miss him. I really just miss him. Even now that we're working together. It's not the same, and I don't think it ever will be." 

CJ sighed. "You don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

"You don't even have a clue."

I stood up and paced a little.

"You're wearing high heels."

I looked down. "Yup."

"You look great."

"You do too."

She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Come on, there's a whole dance floor of people out there. Besides. You won!"

My smile widened. "We did."

"And there's a chocolate fountain!"

"There's a chocolate fountain!"

Finally laughing, I followed her out the door and back into the happy crowd.


End file.
